In the face of racist violence against refugees: one year after the murder of Moïse Kabamgabe
A year ago, on January 24, 2022, Moïse Kabamgabe, a young Congolese man, was lynched and killed on a Rio de Janeiro beach for collecting what his employers owed him. Moïse was 24 years old and had recognized refugee status in Brazil. He lived with his family. At the time, protests erupted in five different cities, most notably the march and rally held in front of the same location where the crime occurred, on Barra da Tijuca beach.
At least six CLACSO Working Groups reacted to what happened, including many current members of the CLACSO Working Group on Migration and South-South Borders:
https://www.clacso.org/pronunciamiento-contra-el-linchamiento-y-muerte-de-joven-
Congolese-in-Brazil/
A year later, Brazil's CONARE (National Committee for Refugees) announced the implementation plan for the "Program for Attention and Acceleration of Refugee Policies for Afro-descendant People." The program will emphasize the promotion of public policies that foster good practices of coexistence and interaction with African people and those of African descent.
Furthermore, the implementation of the “Moïse Kabagambe Observatory – Observatory of Violence against Refugees” was announced. The observatory had been in development at CONARE since February 2022, shortly after Moïse's assassination. It aims to monitor cases of violence against refugees in Brazil, and to support complaints and legal proceedings in which they are involved.
Although it is not clear what the scope or even the funds that these initiatives will have will be, we celebrate the announcements for bringing to the debate the memory of Moïse and the racist violence that is accentuated against other blackness in Brazil, represented by hundreds of refugees from the African continent.
Although three people are in jail, Moïse's trial is still ongoing. Therefore, we continue to amplify the message:
Justice for Moïse!
#JusticeForMoïse
#justiceformoise
#justiceformoise
#JusticeForMoise
January 24, 2023
CLACSO Working Group
Migration and South-South borders
This statement expresses the position of the Working Group Migration and South-South borders and not necessarily that of the centers and institutions that make up the CLACSO international network, its Steering Committee or its Executive Secretariat.
